How to become a Cruise Ship Captain?

The profession of a cruise ship captain is a very intriguing one but at the same time it is not easy to attain. There are lots of requirements, in terms of educational qualifications, experience and mostly, in terms of the profession itself. Only if these three requirements are more than adequately met, can a person hope to be a cruise ship captain.

The three specified requirements in order to be a marine captain can be detailed as follows:

The very basic requirement needed to become a cruise ship captain is that of education. One needs to have a Bachelor in Science with maths and science as mandatory subjects in order to take up the profession of a marine captain. Additionally, it is also important to take up a Masters’ degree from a university that offers exclusive courses for becoming a cruise ship captain.

The second-most important point that needs to be noted about educational qualifications is that in addition to the above specified degrees, individuals aspiring to be ship captains need to have a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) and a Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC). It is on the basis of these certifications that a person can qualify to become a marine captain, even if he has fulfilled the necessary educational criterion.

Another important thing about educational qualification is that only the toppers in the marine universities are given the opportunity to become cruise ship captains. Therefore in addition to studying for a marine captain’s course, it also becomes necessary to maintain top grades at all times.

Experience-wise, in order to become ship captains, aspirants need to know the basics of what the job is all about right from the bottom of the hierarchy. After one completes his graduation from a marine university, he or she gets placed as a third mate in a ship or a vessel. The final step in the process of hierarchy of shipping officers leads to one getting the post of the marine captain.

For the sake of encouraging aspirants, internships are also provided for the post of ship mates. It however needs to be noted that not all internships develop into a job with a particular ship. Some only provide reference credentials while only a few others actually absorb the candidate as a part of the ship’s fleet.

However, as much important professional experience and education is for the profession of ship captains, so is understanding the profession itself. A marine captain needs to be aware of the responsibilities that he or she has to take care of. Individuals who are ship captains are in charge of not only the crew in a cruise ship but also of the cargo and passengers which are the main features of such ships.

This being the case, the marine captain has to be in charge at all times so that in any unwanted and unexpected situation he is able to take the right decision that is beneficial not just to the people aboard the ship but also to the ship as a whole.

It is a known fact that ship captains are required to lay down their lives in case a ship capsizes and they are unable to rescue anyone. This one example is enough to prove how much responsibility a marine captain needs to hold in order to carry out his professional duties well. Therefore it can be rightly said that it is only because of the dedication, commitment and alertness of a cruise ship captain, that people experiencing the freedom of being a cruise ship enjoy the feeling to the very maximum.